Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has enabled insects to acquire novel genetic material that can fuel adaptation to environmental change. However, the role of HGT in the evolution of insecticide resistance remains poorly characterised. Here, we identify BtUCH19, a fungal gene that has integrated into the genome of the global pest Bemisia tabaci and functions as a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB). We show that compared to endogenous DUB, BtUCH19 specifically removes K63-linked ubiquitin chains from a cytochrome P450, CYP4C64, thereby stabilizing this key detoxification enzyme in vivo. Sustained CYP4C64 abundance enhances metabolic detoxification of two commonly used insecticides thiamethoxam (TMX) and clothianidin (CLO) to their low-toxicity products TMX-Urea and CLO-Urea. Consequently, BtUCH19 drives insecticide resistance through a novel "HGT-PTM-Metab" axis. Our work reveals the instrumental role of a HGT in orchestrating ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS)-mediated protein level regulation of a key detoxification pathway. These findings offer new insights into the intricate mechanisms underlying co-evolutionary biology, and provide a new molecular target for Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Lu, H., Zhang, C., Hu, J., Wang, C., Zhang, R., Huang, M., Tan, Q., Yin, C., Xia, J., Wu, Y., Zhou, X., Nauen, R., Zhang, Y.-J., Bass, C., Yang, X.
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